Great Falls WWII Army veteran turns 100; says don't take life too seriously

Adele Dunlap of Pittstown, NJ resides at the Country Arch Care Center where she celebrated her 114th. Dunlap, who has been a resident of New Jersey her entire life, became the oldest living American approximately six months ago.
Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

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George Parmenter at his 100th birthday party on Dec. 28, 2017.(Photo: TRIBUNE PHOTO/SEABORN LARSON)Buy Photo

Three days after Christmas, the spirit was still alive in the Rainbow ballroom in celebration of George Pamenter's 100th birthday.

After no less than an hour of Christmas carols and church hymns, Pamenter greeted and thanked folks who stopped by for the celebration.

"It was quite a party," he said with a smile.

Pamenter said the secret to living a century is "don't overwork yourself" and don't take yourself too seriously. He still gets around on foot with the help of a walker, but Pamenter took a seat to thank the 30-some people who attended his birthday on Thursday.

Pamenter was born in Great Falls and grew up in Utica, east of town. While in the army, he was shipped to New Guinea in World War II, where he took two shots in the hip, leaving him largely disabled but earning him a Purple Heart.

His daughter, Anita Gioconda, said doctors told Pamenter he wouldn't live past 25. He didn't take them too seriously, either.

"For him to live this long is amazing," Gioconda said.

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Folks sang Christmas songs and church hymns for nearly an hour in honor of George Parmenter's 100th birthday on Dec. 28.(Photo: TRIBUNE PHOTO/SEABORN LARSON)

When Pamenter returned from the war, he owned a mechanic shop with another fellow before taking up work at the U.S. Post Office across the street from the Rainbow Senior Living facility where he now lives. Family said he worked there for nearly 40 years, and retired in his early 80s.

Living near the Rocky Mountain Front, Pamenter spent his free time outdoors. He backpacked through the Bob Marshall Wilderness and frequented the skeet range until about 20 years ago.

He also engaged in a number of civic groups, including the Eastern Star Masons.

Pamenter was the youngest of four children, born when the oldest sibling was 18 years old. He and his wife had two children, who they also raised in the Great Falls area. Pamenter was never inclined to leave, he said, because he had been shot the last time he was shipped away.

"He wants to stay in Montana all his life," Gioconda said.

- An earlier version of this story misspelled Pamenter's name. It has been updated.